Clipperblog doesn't know for certain that it will find a suitable power forward in the playgrounds of Accra. But he suspects the trip to Ghana will be the perfect recharge before the 2007-2008 NBA season.

Coverage will resume in late September prior to the Clippers' preseason opener in Denver on October 9.

Posted Wednesday, October 29 at 3:20PM

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Comments

It looks like Patterson played pretty well for the Bucks last year--that is, played 2500 minutes on a team that lost 50+ games. I'm a little surprised that his rebounding numbers aren't better, but even with Brand out that's not exactly the Clips weakness. Defense is a bigger problem, and that's where Patterson can help out.

I don't know what the deal might be, but I'm not sure how the Clips pay for it. I think the Korolev experiment might be kaput. It seemed like he might get a chance to play, at least in preseason, but with Brand's injury the Clips have brought in Powell and now Patterson. Neither of whom can shoot, btw.

"Patterson must register himself as a sex offender in the state where he lives due to pleading guilty in 2001 to attempted rape of his child's nanny in September 2000.[2] It was reported that he forced the nanny to perform a sex act on him.[2][3]"

The addition of Ruben Patterson to the team is a good one. His a veteran player that can give the team some real quality minutes. I was under the impression that we were really close to the salary cap. Once again I dare to say that this season is not a throw away season like some people have commented.

Defense is what got us to the playoffs in '06... at some point, I guess this is what Dunleavy is thinking for his defensive squad:
1.Knight
2.Mobley/ Ross
3.Patterson/ Ross
4.Powell
5.Kaman

With another small forward signing, where does this leave Maggette? Are we gonna play Clipper small ball?? Not likely in the West. The squad I listed above looks like the most boring offense in the NBA with Dunleavy orchestrating the Pick and Pops.
My prediction is that Maggette will be gone by the trade deadline. Hopefully we can pick up a future superstar for him.

If we did try a run and gun small ball lineup, this is what it would like:
1.Diaz- scoring pg
2.Cassell- shooter
3.Mobley- shooter
4.Thornton- scorer
5.Thomas- shooter

J Smooth - interesting post. I can't believe that your projected lineup would actually start. Ruben is a good hustle player, but the lineup you suggest has no one to score the ball. Ruben is a good compliment to Maggette. Problem, of course, is that he can't shoot the three and thus will not stretch the defense.

Here's my suggested starting lineup, such that it is (I dont' see any other realistic choices):

Knight
Mobley
Maggette
Thomas/Thornton
Kaman

Ruben would backup SF/SG and play signifncant minutes. He can put the ball in the hole. Cassell would back up both guard spots and play significant minutes. Ross would play significant minutes as well. Powell and Davis would back up Kaman and possibly the 4. Diaz might play if he proves he can shoot the ball in the NBA.

No matter what happens we will be very weak at PF for obvious reasons. It's going to be tough. While I don't think that the season is over, because they don't appear to have enough consistent scorers (let's see if Thornton and/or Thomas and/or Kaman can STEP UP), I'm not overly optimistic.

The nanny raper is now a Clipper, just wonderful. Clearly a panic move here fellas, and one that will probably end badly given Mr. Patterson's checkered past. Guess Dunleavy figures having 6 guys that play the same position is better than 5 (Maggette, Mobley, Ross, Thornton, and suppose we have to count Korolev). J Smooth, am with you, looks like the self-proclaimed resident genius aka MD is looking to try to grind out 75-73 victories with this signing. I too would much rather see them try to go small and uptempo with your second proposed lineup, but knowing what we know about MD look for Clipper games to resemble watching paint dry this year. This signing will not increase our win total and creates an even bigger log-jam at the 3, and forces a nanny raper on us. Nicely done MD and Clips management, way to make a bad situation even worse.

Let's not get on Ruben's case just yet. That incident happened almost 7 years ago, and he's been a relatively "good" person since. He's got the work ethic, and the skill to improve the team, so let his play dictate how this deal pans out.

I'd like to think that certain indiscretions can be forgiven over time (with obvious exceptions) so let's try to focus on how RP is going to benefit the clips instead of assuming that he's got a perpetual black cloud hovering over him...

Go where, Jax? We have several theories about MD and his paralyzing strangle hold he has on the Clip Show. Some we can share here, some we can't.

One has reason to believe MD may have some sort of an evil spell on DTS. Think about it..DTS wouldn't dare even think about prying open that check book before MD entered the picture. Now, DTS can't seem to control himself. From matching EB and Maggette's offer sheets (the great or more rather essential moves) to handing Kaman $11ish a year for 5 years and MD's $5 million a year for 4 more painful years(the infinitely stupid ones). So either MD has a mid-centuries style spell on DTS, or DTS has handed the keys to the Rolls to MD and could care less if he drives it off a cliff.

The Patterson signing does NOTHING for the Clips this year, except get another body that plays within MD's lame ass system. The same system that has won him zero Championships in 14 years. He's had championship caliber teams in LA (Lakers 90-91) and Portland (98-99 and 99-00) and didn't get it done- not to mention the 05-06 Clip Show that was a possession away from beating the Suns and advancing to the Western Conference Finals. His win % in Milwaukee in between was dreadful. The guy has one good year for the Clips, that he completely choked away, BTW, and cashes in. MD should call and thank his agent every single day. Either that, or give Daddy back the keys to the car.

@Jax
Isn't Baylor still the GM? Why would any of his signees reflect on Dunleavy?
At any rate, only you would try to leverage a girl being violated to try to get at me. Your tenacity, if not your whole cloth, is noted.

So, if you folks can cotton cheering for a rapist, you have far greater powers in that regard than I. There is nothing to "not get on his case for just yet". He pled guilty. In front of a judge, under oath, he said, yeah I did that, where "that" was forcing a nanny to perform a sex act on him. If rape is an "indiscretions (that) can be forgiven over time", I'm afraid to note which ones can't. I have a wife, a mother, a sister, 3 wonderful nieces and another on the way, and I can't imagine how long it would take to forgive someone who violated one of them thusly.

To Jax its just another chance to take a shot at me. That's how he is I guess.

Post-modernism for the win.

Kevin, I thank you for your excellent work in this space. Between yourself, Steve, and Kurt, the Los Angeles teams have by far the greatest blogs in la liga. We are truly blessed. I can't help but to continue to read, and I am sure I will comment from time to time, but I'm all but disengaged.

EB, Cat, Sam, Shaun, Q, Chris you all seem like good dudes and the perfect antithesis to the other squad in town. If you can get rid of him before the season opens that's very good news. I can't get my money back at this point, but effectively, unless something changes, I'm done with the Clippers.

Jax go ahead and take your parting shot. Its all you've ever been about anyway.

If these dudes are the Clipperblog commenters, comments might as well be shut down.

John R, you seem to be rather troubled, or more rather an easily troubled individual.

I prefer to think we are having a healthy discussion on the state of the Clip Show. If the commentary does not suit your liking, so be it.

The notion that MD is simply just the coach of the Clippers and has no say in personnel decisions, is, well, perhaps the most naive thing one has ever heard. If one believes that MD is just our coach, the guy that handles just the X's and O's per say, perhaps the toothfairy and Santa Claus also exist. MD's hands have been all over every single wrong personnel move and coaching decision since he has been here. There's not enough time in the day to address them all.

You guys are gonna love Patterson. I'm a Bucks fan, and I had similar feelings to those of John R. when the team traded for Patterson last summer. Now, I wish they would have brought him back!

The guy is a bulldog. Pure hustle and grit. He can't shoot, but he is great in the post and he just bullies his way to the basket. He's fearless in that sense. The Bucks played him at power forward quite a bit, with decent results (he is 6'5"). Good man defender - 'The Kobe Stopper' was his old nickname. On the forums we ended up calling him 'Therapist' (ah, get it?). The Bucks brought him in because of an injury sitution (to ex-Clip Bobby Simmons no less), but he ended up being the highlight of last season (it was a BAD year). His game will make you forget about his past.

It sounds like your squad is going through a similar injury hell to the one the Bucks experienced last season. It's hard to take, but you guys have a good squad that should bounce back. Now, Dunleavy is a whole nother matter. Good luck in 07/08.

I forgot to add - Bucks fans are starting to call the Clippers, 'Bucks West'. Knight, Cassell, Thomas, and now Patterson are all ex-Bucks, not to mention again, Dunleavy. I might have a new 'second favorite' team.

With all due respect, as a longtime Clipper season ticket holder, the title of Bucks West is probably not what one would be hoping for.

I think the point I was trying to make earlier is this. Ruben may still have something left in the tank but at whose expense (Maggette, Mobley, Ross and the rook Thornton) will Ruben's minutes come? Not sure Ruben can play the 4 in the Western Conference fellas. You can get away with a guy 6'5" playing the 4 in the East but not the west, unless your name is Charles Barkley.

Although Ruben brings some D to the table, we already have Ross for that (assuming he can get back to the D he played 2 years ago).

I would much rather see Dunleavy develop the currrent players we have rather than bring in more Dunleavy type players. I guess Rick Brunson was too busy to come back and play for MD this year.

To me, this is the crux of the issue, Dunleavy would rather play a guy with subpar talent that fits his system rather than formulate a system that will bring out the best in the players he has on the roster.

Corey, you will be missed, and we wish you the best of luck with your new team. My only hope would be that if the Clips had to trade Corey, that somehow Kaman's ridiculous contract could go along as well.

TW - I think that the Clippers had no choice. Best talent available at that price. Ruben can put the ball in the hole, play strong D on some bigger guys than Ross and is an experienced veteran. I see this as an effort to try to hold down the fort until EB gets back.

Agree with your sentiments re MDSr, but EB's injury isn't his fault. I don't have the same confidence that you do wtih the current roster.

John R., I hear where you are coming from, but at the same time aren't we living in a country/society that beleives in forgiveness? If you are religisou, don't most, if not all, religious tenets beleive in the ideology of forgiveness...

Look, I'm not conding Ruben's past actions, but lets emphasize the present. Hey, if the Bucks fans loved him /as a player/ then let's try to embrace his arrival to LaLa Land.

Clipper Loving Atheist- What if my personal morality says that I should wipe out everyone that looks a certain way? Not cool? Why not, because your "personal" morality says so? Oh wait, I guess personal morality can't quite be the end all then.

I think the whole point in signing Patterson was that he was the only player available who would do the dirty work that Elton did. Will he block key shots in the last few minutes of a game like EB? No. But he can certainly make it tougher on a Western Conference full of athletic small forwards. I wouldn't be surprised to see a line up more like this....

Kaman (C)
Thomas (PF)
Patterson (SF)
Magette (SG)
Cassell (PG)

Yeah, he's a rapist (can't apologize or discredit that), but he's also a versatile player who can shoot a 10 foot shot, will take it to the hole (something Ross didn't do enough last year) and he can run.

If Shaun can come back this year (or even next) he's another great weapon for him.

And to be honest, I'm stunned Miami didn't sign Patterson. I think the Clips are pretty lucky to have landed him as it is.

Believe it or not Shaun is coming along MUCH faster than one could possibly imagine given the severity of his injury. Although he won't state it publicly as of now, he's hell bent on playing this year. It's another discussion alltogether whether that is actually a wise decision or not. Shaun's knee is doing well, but his leg has lost all muscle without the ability to use it since February. He SHOULD take the year to add muscle and come back next year with a body more suited to the NBA.

With regard to the much more impactful injury to the Clips season, Elton is a warrior. If anyone can speed the clock up on a recovery, my money would be on Elton. Now, with that said, it'll be interesting to see if the unnamed person in management and their erroneous suggestion that EB took PE's has any effect on EB's desire to do just that. We shall see.

I wouldn't expect either of these guys back this year, but it's entirely possible we see one or even both.

The season is now in the hands of MD and staff to take this unbalanced roster and formulate a new game plan. Given that MD has shown us little to zero cognitive ability to do so thus far here in LA (and his entire coaching career as well) the Clips are destined for a very long year in the always stacked Western Conference.

I'm interested to see if new guys like Diaz, Thornton and Powell will be able to break into MD's rotation and give the team a boost.

Sofoklis did not follow the Olympiacos delegation to Karpenisi but rather stayed in Athens, where he follows an intense personal training program in order to reach the required physical standards.
Nevertheless, he attended the first official team practice on Tuesday, where he had the chance to talk with his team mates, as well as with the technical staff, and all ended up deciding that the best thing at the point would be for Sofo to stay in Athens and continue with the personal program adjusted to his needs, since it already shows that it can have positive results.
Sofoklis is expected to fully join Olympiacos practices after a three weeks period.

Didn't check in over here for awhile knowing that the fearless leader is taking time off.

I think of JohnR as having strong opinions and a worthy antagonist, and he's clearly sincere about his problems with adding Patterson to the squad. It was genuinely sad, and makes me think twice about the signing and the player. I was heartened by Buckfan talking about Patterson's effort and contribution last year, after having some of the same concerns. Should be interesting.

I was disenchanted and disengaged by Dunleavy's choices last year, and for whatever reason I'm deeply intrigued by the Clips and the upcoming season and their future now. And I hope JohnR comes back...

I'm sure DTS would like to extend Corey's deal but there's only one problem with that..Corey hates Dunleavy and can make more $$ if he opts out. It doesn't sound like a very difficult decision for Corey to make.

The fact that the Nanny raper (allegedly) is here now probably means a trade is in the works somewhere down the line. It makes no sense to have so many guys that play the same position, and none that can play PF or the point very well. There's simply not enough minutes to go around at the 3. This being Corey's contract year, if he doesn't get the bulk of the minutes, he'll bolt for sure. If MD somehow pulls his head out of his rear, and Corey plays and does well maybe he stays. I think we can all agree that's a huge longshot given what we know about MD, and the fact that he went out and got the Nanny raper here.

I think that Ruben will play the 4. He can't shoot. He's a very different player than Corey. Sterling loves Maggette. We'll see what happens. I have a feeling that MDSr is on his way out after this year.

Jax, hope you are right about MD being on his way out. My sources tell me there's a 2 year buyout, which means he'd make a cool $15 mil for this season if shown the door. That's not too bad, and you have to give the guy some credit for negotiating a GREAT deal for himself, especially because at the end of the day, he's still Mike Dunleavy.

With regards to Ruben playing the 4 in the West, I do not agree. Sure MD will try to do so, but like many of his coaching moves, this one won't turn out very well either. Call me crazy, but I don't put much stock in the fact that he was able to have a career year at the 4 on a crappy Bucks team in the smaller and weaker Eastern conference.

Did he play the 4 on the Bucks? I thought he was the season-long replacement starter for Bobby Simmons at the 3.

I think he'll be Maggs/Mobley's replacement off the bench--hopefully he'll come in for Mobley and Maggs' minutes will go up. Dunleavy didn't have any problem playing Maggette huge minutes at the 2 (alongside Simmons) 3 years ago, so he knows how to leave Maggette on the floor if he wants to. The good thing about Patterson is that he was a bench player throughout his career (until last year) and knows how to make an impact in limited minutes.

Zhiv - as I understand it, Ruben played the 4 for the Bucks. I find it very difficult to believe that he'd come off the bench. He's easily one of the 5 best current players on the team and will play over 30 mins/game. In addition, the Clips need a three point threat from the 2 which they won't have if Maggs plays there. And don't forget Mobley is an MDSr fave. Get ready for a starting lineup of:

"The guy is a bulldog. Pure hustle and grit. He can't shoot, but he is great in the post and he just bullies his way to the basket. He's fearless in that sense. The Bucks played him at power forward quite a bit, with decent results (he is 6'5"). Good man defender - 'The Kobe Stopper' was his old nickname. On the forums we ended up calling him 'Therapist' (ah, get it?). The Bucks brought him in because of an injury sitution (to ex-Clip Bobby Simmons no less), but he ended up being the highlight of last season (it was a BAD year). His game will make you forget about his past."

Don't forget about Kaman's contract, which MD called more important than his own contract extension last Summer/Fall. Kaman seems to have been exposed last year. Some guys near my section started calling him Olawa-Kaman, which is pretty funny but also very sad given how much $$ he's set to make for the next 5 years.

Korolev is not an NBA player, period.

Livingston, although he has an amazing attitude and does have some flashes of brilliance, has been extremely inconsistent and does not have a body strong enough to play in the NBA at this age.

In fairness, I would have signed Kaman too, although the amount of the contract is an issue. I think the jury is still out on that. He does have some talent. The length of Mobley's contract is also an issue, as was the signing of Tim Thomas, who's a career underachiever.

I don't get the lovefest wtih Livingston, and although it's clear he's talented he obviously wasn't ready to be handed the reigns last year. He also appears to be injury-prone. I personally would have traded him for AI.

OK dude, I'll give you the notion that Kaman may not be a complete waste of space..but he's not an $11 million a year guy, period. He also has a 15% trade kicker which makes him basically impossible to trade now.

Good points on Mobely and T2. With Thomas, he has two years left at around $8 per which is not bad, but also not very good either. Mobley is a good player, but at this stage of his career is probably a 6th man. I don't mind this contract so much, although you are probably right..those latter years will probably be a problem for the Clips getting value on the court for the contract he has.

Lastly, with Livingston, recall the Clips had the second pick in the draft that year. They traded down two slots to take Shaun, and passed on Okefur and Ben Gordon. The second round pick they picked up they used on Lionel Chalmers, who is now playing where..?

You add it all up and it's hard to fathom how MD is still employed here, let alone recieve such an immense contract extension for such a series of awful decisions.

They should have made Kaman earn his contract last year, not simply hand it to him because MD and his agent asked for it. I credit his agent for being smart enough to know when to get it done, and I discredit the Clips front office/MD for being dumb enough to fall for Rob Pelinka's demands.

Round 2 of Pelinka v. Clips front office is about to take place with Maggette now. If I'm Pelinka and got $11 plus for Kaman from the Clips, the asking price for Maggette starts at $15 mil.

The Clippers had already given up on MD last year 20-25 games in, when MD inked his own extension. The fact that DTS did not or could not see this is the crux of the whole problem. Although MD has convinced him to invest in players (finally) is welcommed, just wish it wasn't MD making the calls on who comes and goes. This ultimitely falls on DTS.

I would argue that Dunleavy lost the team in the Phoenix series last year, yet gets rewarded for making the Playoffs only to lose to Phoenix. Phoenix beat the Clips with 6 guys, and one of them was T2. D'Antoni schooled MD big-time, and MD's still trying to figure out what happened.

Had the Clips not jaked it to drop to the 6 seed to face Denver, Dallas would have easily taken care of the Clips in the first round.

So MD jaking it got him a series win against Denver, but then got exposed by a much more superior coach in the next round. Thus, I would argue, how good of a year was it really two years ago ??

Re Maggs, you can't forget that bigs are worth more than wings, everything else being equal. Thus, not certain that Maggs will command $15m

Re MD - got to give him credit for doing well in the regular season two years ago. Agreed he messed up on the Phx series (like he did before in Portland), and messed up again with how he handled the Maggs situation this past year and possibly lost the team for good.

Bizarre situation - MDSr somehow talks Sterling into opening his wallet, does moderately well in the regular season, clearly screws up in the playoffs, and thereafter is given a huge extension. Then he kills the team last year with the Livingston/Cassell and Maggs situations.

Never seen anything like this before. Confirms just how difficult it is to be a Clipper fan. Anyone can be a Laker fan.

It appears MD has driven every single team he's coached into the ground.

He took Pat Riley's Laker team to the NBA Championship, and lost to MJ. Then underachieved, and the Lakers fired him.

He then goes to Milwaukee as GM and coach. The Bucks had a .326 win percentage the handful or so years he was there. Clearly, not getting it done again.

Then Portland hires him. Coaches one of the most talented teams ever (the 98 and 99 squads) and doesn't get it done. A couple more sub-par years there and they clip him (pun intended).

Then he comes here after a few years off, and all of a sudden MD is some sort of a hoops genius yet again as he's clearly been given liscense to do what he wants with the Clips. See above posts for his many prowesses here in LA.

..I don't think MD needs any help losing or more rather choking close games away. That's something that he seems to have down pat, without the aid of any crooked refs..

Just ask Daniel Ewing if he thought it was a good idea to put himself in the game cold off the bench up 3 in the final possession to guard Raja Bell, a known 3 point assasin, a few years ago. Guess brilliant decisions like that one bear large contract extensions in DTS's kingdom.

In Daniel Ewings defense, he did play stellar D on Bell the first time Phoenix tried to in-bounds the ball, forcing them to call a time out. Also, it's pretty clear that Bell completely shoved Ewing to get open, but that is never called...ever...
Nevertheless....I am pretty sure the alternative, Maggette, would have flopped or just stood there and played his less than spectacular D that he is known for...and the results would have been the same...
Since it appears that MDsR is basically on his way out the door at mid-season, who are the viable candidates to take over his job?...or better yet, who would WANT to take over this team?

Obviously he's not a great defender. He's got poor lateral movement. I can't recall who they replaced when they put Ewing on Raja. Clearly the shot by Raja was lucky and clutch. The question is whether another defender (other than Ewing) would have put a hand in his face or otherwise made the shot more difficult.

In my view, the Raja shot was an example of MDSr's overcoaching. He thought that he was outthinking the opponents but in reality he was making a poor coaching decision. And for that he got a four-year extension.

In addition to the fact that MD should have had a taller player on Bell to guard against the 3 (the only thing that kills you at the time) it's important to note that those were Ewings first minutes as a pro in the Playoffs. No pressure, rook, just go out there and guard a guy with ice water in his veins with the game on the line.

This is only one instance of MD's constant blunders that cost the team games, but it's probably one of if not the most glaring one as the Clips should have won that series and been in the Western Conference Finals. It came down to getting one stop, and MD completely blew it with one idiotic substitution.

Dan, please did you honestly think that Portland was going to be fighting for a slot in the playoff!! Even with EB out the Clippers have a better squad then the Trailblazers. As a fan I'm hoping that the clippers atleast make this season interesting by always being in hunt for that eight spot for the playoffs, considering that EB will be out for all those games!!!!!

Jax, you are right dude..we did have a foul to give which makes it even worse.

That wasn't much of a shove off from Bell, either. It was more of a move to make Ewing think he was going the other way. They saw that Ewing would be on Bell and liked their chances with that matchup, Bell makes the fake on Ewing and had a wide open look for the tie.

Wally, the Clippers have clearly taken several steps backward with the injuries to EB and Shaun, and haven't done anything to fill those holes. What's more important is the fact that everyone else in the West has improved (save maybe the Lakers).

When you have another look at MD's infinite wizardry in that youtube video from the Playoffs a few years ago, it does not take a rocket scientist to see that the Clips will struggle big time with the personnel we have and MD calling the shots.

What MD should do is finally come to the realization that he does not know what he is doing, and start over. Basically, he needs to start molding the offense and defensive sets around the personnel he has instead of forcing the players to buy into his BS system that doesn't work anyway. It is this stubborness that keeps the team down the most in my opinion, and why I feel that unless MD pulls his head out of his rear. This needs to happen soon, not mid-season when we're already out of it, or the Clips will be destined for another horrific failure this coming season.

I guess my above comment about Ewing really wasn't designed as a defense of MDSR (his coaching was pretty ugly that whole series, which I am sure we are all aware of)...I was just putting it out there for discussion. I guess if we really wanted to get technical, the call that killed us the most in that game was I think about 45 seconds earlier, when the Clippers got called for an 8 second backcourt violation (I think it was Livingston who committed it), and no one, absolutely no one on the bench (coaches, assistants, players, trainers...) realized how much time they had coming out of a time out. I can't remember the specifics, but I think the Clippers were already up by 3 at that point, and a bucket there would have made it a more than a one possession game, and ultimately a freethrow contests, which I am sure the Clippers would have won. That, my friends, was the turning point of that game....
So, will anyone give a shot at my last question then?....who will replace MDSr? Instead of just the regular old "fire Dunleavy" rants, it's apparent that WE, the Clipper Nation, need to come up with some viable alternates in order to get Sterling thinking...at the moment I can't really think of anyone who would want to board our sinking "ship"...

It was Cassell that committed the 8 second turn over. I recall him jawwing at the defender when the ref called the turnover.

With regard to who will be coaching, I have no idea. All I do know is that it appears MD does not have the mental capacity to lead the team to the next level. He got DTS to open the wallet up, and now we have better players but he does not have the slightest idea what to do with them. That right there is the frustration most Clipper fans feel with the current state of affairs of the Clip Show.

I would be game for DTS hiring someone that has not failed at every single job he's had in the NBA. That would be where I would start, in terms of formulating a list of suitable replacements. Maybe a recently retired player that knows the game, and is not a complete idiot like MD. I would hand the team to Sam Cassell right now if I were DTS.

Yes, the turnover was caused because they didn't realize that they only had four seconds left of the eight when they took the ball in after the time out. Gotta blame the coach for that bonehead move.

But the Bell three pointer haunts me. They had to make a three to tie the game. All we had to do was defend the perimeter. Ewing should have gotten into the lane along the three point line to prevent Raja from getting the ball. To me, the entire episode reflected bad coaching. What did Dunleavy say in the time out before the shot? I'd love to find that out.

After that series, I chalked it up to the team not being there before. All teams have to lose in the playoffs before they win. Thus, I had high hopes going into last year. We all know what happened next.

Regarding MDSr, remember that it took some convincing to get even him to become the team's coach. Sterling had to show some commitment, which he hadn't shown before, in the beginning. Now that the team is more respectable, sort of, he probably won't have to make such a showing.

I think I would start my very short list of possible head coaches with Sam Cassell. Hell, they could even fire Dunleavy half way through this season and have Sam be a player/coach...like they used to do back in the old days.....I don't know though...it's a tough call. I'd hate to have to hire a fist time coach and see all the remainder of Brand's formidable years (assuming he comes back 100%) wasted because we are "rebuilding"...again...very depressing to say the least.
Go Clips....

I think we all want Cassell to be player/coach. He'll only play 10 min a game or be injured anyway. I rather have no coach than Dunleavy. His plays don't work and lineup changes are done randomly.
And I think portland could have made the playoffs with Oden healthy.

Yeah good thought. Looks like we're not the only ones that doesn't like Dunleavy. He has a stylist and gets his suits from "suitmaker Cary Mitchell, the tailor responsible for the sartorial splendor of Tiger Woods, and the draft day looks of Jay Willliams, Qyntel Woods, Kareem Rush, Caron Butler and Chris Wilcox"

That guy must be giving Dunleavy all his rejects, or wants him to look bad on purpose.

Elton Brand has cast removed; to begin rehab program
September 18, 2007

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Clippers forward Elton Brand had the cast removed from his left leg and was fitted for a removable walking boot Tuesday, six weeks after he had surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles' tendon.

The Clippers said Brand will begin a rehabilitation program under the supervision of their training and medical staff. The program includes local therapy, cardiovascular work and a flexibility and strengthening program.

Brand is expected to wear the walking boot for six weeks before being reevaluated by Dr. Craig Morgan at Christiana Care's Wilmington Hospital in Wilmington, Del.

Brand was injured Aug. 3 during his daily workout in nearby El Segundo, and Morgan performed the surgery four days later. Brand was examined and had his cast removed at the hospital in Wilmington.

Brand averaged 20.5 points and 9.3 rebounds last season. While no timetable has been set for his return to the court, he is expected to miss at least the first several months of the season.

what a waste of a lottery pick. whether or not he actually has game for the nba level..who knows. but there must've been a reason why coach didn't give him runs. Then again, this is MD we're talking about. He was Koro's #1 fan.

Because of the injury to star forward Elton Brand, the Clippers have rescinded their contract offer to former lottery pick Yaroslav Korolev, who has spent the past several weeks working out for various other NBA teams.

Korolev, 20, was the Clippers' first-round draft pick in 2005, selected 12th overall. When he was drafted, Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy said he expected Korolev to spend his rookie season learning but was projected to break into the rotation by his second year.

But Korolev did not develop as expected, and the Clippers declined to pick up the third-year option of $2.7 million on his contract, making him an unrestricted free agent July 1. Dunleavy said last season and early this summer that Korolev still figured in the team's plans and that the Clippers wanted to re-sign him. Korolev played on the Clippers' summer-league team.

The Clippers offered Korolev a one-year, guaranteed contract of $800,000, with a club option for a second year, a week into the free-agency period. But the Clippers wanted to sign a point guard before Korolev could be signed.

Brand suffered a ruptured left Achilles' tendon in a workout Aug. 3, the same day that free-agent guard Brevin Knight agreed to a two-year deal with the Clippers.

Though Brand had successful surgery last month and was fitted with a walking boot Tuesday, he is expected to miss most of the 2007-08 season. To help fill the void, the Clippers signed two free-agent forwards this summer, Josh Howard and Ruben Patterson. The Clippers also used their first-round pick in June to select Florida State forward Al Thornton, who is three years older than Korolev and plays the same position.

The Clippers have 13 players with guaranteed contracts.

Korolev played in 34 of 164 regular-season games with the Clippers in two seasons and was not on the playoff roster in 2006.

**The above was taken from the OC register this morning**

How stellar that MD's selection for the 13th pick in the draft two years ago cannot even make the team this year.

Well, here's yet another one of MD's decisions not exactly turning out that well. One of these days the guy in charge, DTS, may have to start making MD accountable for his infinite poor decisions, right? Or has he been given liscense to run the team completely into the ground and the jokes on us paying customers ?? I digress..

EB on AM 570 radio was very candid this AM. He talked about everything from injury, the teams chances this year to his movie to MD's stellar coaching and dressing skills (although he artfully danced around those topics, but you know he has his thoughts which echo most of ours).

For those that missed it, I think AM 570 has podcasts online. Check their site if you want to try to catch it via podcast, EB was in studio for almost an hour this morning.

What a waste. He really must have sucked in practice, cus this is gonna look bad for Dunleavy who was scouting him in Europe.
I remember joking with people "I hope he's not another Darko". Now I wish he was another Darko.

Kirilenko is probably who Dunleavy thought he was drafting when he picked Korolev, so it wouldn't suprise me. Kirilenko has game when he wants to play but he's such a giant baby. He'll probably be a Laker soon, so he and Kobe can menstruate together.

Why would Elgin want to sign a player that is obviously weak mentally!!! I think the Clippers has made enough movements, now it's time to see how all these new players are going to play together!! One comment that EB said was key " How can u bet against Cassell" If he is healthy he will make sure the teams keeps everything a float!!! He's will to win is amazing!!! If he keeps himself healthy, we will make the playoffs this season!!!!

Normally, one would read such an assessment and embrace the fact that the Clips appear to be underdogs, but with MD leading this team there's little reason to believe that the Clips can overachieve this upcoming year..

Yeah mighty interesting how he didn't mention Maggette until the end, almost like he forgot about him.

When EB was in studio on the radio last week, they asked him about Maggette and Corey getting along. He didn't exactly say that MD and Corey had put their differences behind them. His guarded response paints the opposite picture, for those paying attention.

I don't think you have to look too hard to see that Corey will be opting out, and this will be his last year as a Clipper. Thanks again, MD, thanks for destroying a talent over developing one. At least MD is a great game coach and he knows how to draft talent....well, so he's zero for threee but whose counting ?????

(those of us that are smart are counting, MD, you are not fooling anyone except the guy that writes the checks so kudos to you I suppose, pal, but we're still watching you MD)

If you read between the lines on the article above, it sure sounds like EB would like his chance at a ring. He can opt out of his deal after next season.

As a loyal paying customer, please don't let MD drive Corey away and then the same happens to EB the following year. Your move, DTS.

***PLEASE UPDATE THIS BLOG******
Fans, be certain that certain superstars are going to move. Timberwolves went thru it last year and there's a good possibility that we are going to see this happen with Maggette. If in fact, Maggette is not looking to sign an extension, I'm hoping that management does not wait for him to opt out this year. They need to trade him before the All Star game, so we can get something in return. I'm hoping that i never have to make this same comment about Brand but if he is going to take the same route, then the Clipper's also need to make sure that there's a plan to also get some good new talent for him.
My point that I'm trying to make, no matter who's with the team we need to make sure the we support the Clippers not individual wearing the uniform.

why are they even giving korolev a training camp invite after taking back their contract offer and releasing him? obviously the kid is highly expendable, and after playing in only 34 games in 2 seasons, lets just cut the losses and come to terms that he's never going to make any impact in the nba. why waste the roster spot and the money.

Fellas, this is MD we're talking about. I suppose he figures that because he's always wrong, sooner or later he figures things will start working out for him.

I do not agree. I think there's definitely a pattern of stubborn idiocy, and he needs to be checked before the entire ship sinks.

Korolev could be the slowest player to ever dawn an NBA uniform. William "the refrigerator" Perry thinks Korolev is slow.

I love the fact that Korolev is still getting a look at training camp next month and big SOFO is wasting away in Greece. Something's definitely not right when a guy like SOFO, who clearly showed the world last Summer that he can play against the world's best, doesn't get a lick of consideration for the gaping hole the Clips have at the 4, and MD pulls in a few more small forwards to round out the squad. Makes absolutely ZERO sense.

This may very well be MD's worst series of decisions to date, speaking of the horrific off-season, and this is one fan who's truly hoping that it'll cost him his job. Go away MD, go ruin someone's else's squad already.

why do we keep messing with korolev's feelings? What a crude joke, it's being with a girl for years and knowing u won' t marry her. Dunleavy, do something before korolev send his comrades to handle his business. Although it would be interesting if clipper nation would care if dunleavy got wacked

Nobody is asking for any physical harm to MD, but there's seems to be a growing number of us that wonder on a daily basis if MD is smarter than a 5th grader or not.

Save the late season injury to Shaun and Sam's ups and downs last year, the Clips enjoyed a relatively injury free season compared to other NBA teams historically.

This season will be the complete opposite. Given that MD has yet to show us he can adapt and make the necessary changes game to game as other coaching staffs formulate new gameplans against us- when he's had a full arsenal of options- he's going to be exposed even further this coming year as the talent level is clearly down and half the roster will be competing for the same minutes. The anchor of the front line will be that of Chris Kaman along with T2, Sam is 39, and Maggette is still in MD's dog house for some unexplainable reason.

I couldn't imagine a worse scenerio than this one coming into an NBA season. Maybe having Kobe Bryant and all the headaches he's created this off-season would be the only thing worse.

with corey planning on opting out after the season, clips should get what they can out of him and then trade him around the deadling in Feb. I doubt corey will resign if MD is still the coach...assuming Sterling gives the 'okay' for a new contract offer with terms that compete against other teams' offers. Either that, or gamble on being able to make a sign and trade in the off season. In any scenario, i don't think corey will be a clipper next year.

The Clippers' Corey Maggette will wait until after this season to decide if his future lies with the team. Maggette is eligible for a contract extension, but he and his agent, Rob Pelinka, said they plan to let the Oct. 31 deadline pass, which would allow Maggette to opt out of the final year of his contract next summer and become an unrestricted free agent. Orange County Register

Pelinka said it is more prudent to wait until that time because Maggette, 27, then could be signed to a six-year extension by the Clippers or, if he decided to test the free-agent market, he could mull over five-year contract offers from other teams. Orange County Register

Per NBA rules, the maximum number of years the Clippers could extend Maggette's contract at this time would be three years averaging $8.5 million. The Clippers offered that, but Maggette and Pelinka declined. Orange County Register

Third-year forward Yaroslav Korolev will have a partially guaranteed contract when the Clippers open training camp Tuesday in Santa Barbara. Korolev has made it clear his preference is to remain in the NBA, and returning to play professionally in Russia would be a last resort.

***the above was taken from the Orange County Register***

Translation, Corey will be opting out at the end of the year but is choosing to remain profesional, unlike the crybaby Kobe Bryant.

i feel ya on the corey tip j-smooth. as much as clipper fans get irked with corey's decision making often times, no doubt are we going to miss him dearly when he's gone. we better not let him go for nothing.

I believe it's just more of the same idiotic stubborness by MD. He's dead wrong with both guys, there's simply no other way to explain it.

Maggette is far from a perfect player, but MD is choosing to bury his talents instead of working on where Corey's been weak. It's that simple.

With Korolev, am guessing it's killing him that he was so dead wrong with scouting and then drafting this cement shoed stiff, and he's still around because he thinks he can make him into a player still.

WRONG AGAIN DUNLEAVY.

I wish I could be as terrible at my job as MD is at his and pull down $5 million a year..

I don't think anyone here has seen Korolev play enough quality minutes to be judging his potential so harshly.

Just relax in your armchairs, coaches, and let's see how training camp and the first 10 games pan out.

There's discussion and analysis, and then there's guesswork and pure speculation. The latter is a waste of time. I've seen flashes of skill from Korolev during his rare garbage-time minutes, so who knows what he can do? If you guys are present at every practice and have seen him consistently suck, I'll stand corrected. If that's not true, don't write him off through xenophobia and ignorance.

Having said that, I do agree that Maggette's talents are being squandered by MD. I've seen game where he's on the bench and the Clippers just can't get to the hoop, then Corey comes in, puts his head down, and spends the rest of the game at the line... giving us a chance to win. It will be sad to see him in another uniform but it's inevitable.

Andrew with all due respect to you, they call it garbage time for a reason. Throwing in a wide open shot against someone else's equivalent scrub isn't much help, save garbage time- an is no indication to being able to actually contribute at the speed of the normal NBA game.

Korolev is misertably slow. And weak. Last I checked when one's a wing, there's a fair amount of speed and strength necessary to compete and contribute at that position. Korolev can do neither unles someone has taught him how to be quicker on his feet, then there's the speed of the game that he also seems to struggle with.

I prefer to refer to myself more as an investor who calls it as he see's it, and not an armchair coach as you have made reference above. Some of us have a higher level of comprehension as to what's going on and are gonna keep everyone honest, that's all.

Now we know the situation with Corey, As much as i would love to keep him until the end of this year and see what's going to happen, I SAY TRADE HIM AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. I'm a fan just like all of you here and reading this article today was disturbing..But atleast right now we might be able to get somebody for him.

Maggette has all the leverage, in terms of how much value the Clips will be able to get in return for him.

Maggette and his agent can in effect squash any possible trade to a place/team not desirable long term to Corey.

If I'm Corey and have had to put up with MD's complete BS for 3 painful years, I'm going to be very careful choosing my next destination- and who can blame him ?? Plus this is his one true shot at feee agency. Remember, he was restricted the last time and had signed an offer sheet with Utah, the Clips matched.

The Clips waited too long to trade him, and now Corey has all the leverage. And, once again, have blown it on a talented player.

One can only imagine what things could have been like now and the future for the Clips if certain people had not been botching things so very badly. I guess now just sit back and watch the train crash into something.

I have a gut feeling J.Jo is going to be one hell of an NBA point guard some day... Its the same gut feeling that knows Maggs is gonna tear us up when he finds his new team next year. There's no way Korolev has more value than someone who actually led the NCAA in assists. Thanks MDsr.

I'm taking pills to kill the pain of what the clips are doing to my health. WE don't sign Francis, we trade J. Jordan, but we keep Korolev around. Oh yeah, the corey things too. What the hell are we going to do? Can I get a refund on the season tix? Is the only thing I have to look forward to next season is the possibility that corey gets traded for Kirelinko? Although it would be quite fun to see Kirelinko and Korolev interact. Or when the Lakers vs. Clipper, I can say "hey there are 3 sex offenders on the court"

Yeah the JJ trade for cash is a real head scratcher. If I were calling the shots (wow, how incredibly different things would be if that was the case!) I would want to have JJ in the wings just in case the two teradactyl's we have there now (Sam and Brevin) end up joining Shaun on the injured list, which if you have followed both their careers is more likely than not to happen at least once this year. Guess MD already has Rick Brunson on the speed dial.

Dan and I will be holding therapy sessions in the royal room for all us clips diehards who can't deal with MD's infinite stupidity any longer. Fellas, the only thing we can do is numb the pain with some spirits.

The funny thing is this...DTS extended MD's contract becuase business was going seemingly well, he didn't want to mess with anything. Too bad DTS was still feeling that sense of euphoria after finally getting back to the Playoffs after such a long draught, and was unable to realize that the team had already started giving up on MD last year right around the time the two sides inked the 4 year extension. To this day, I still cannot believe DTS was so foolish to have signed such a ridiculous contract extension for MD's diminishing services.

Make no mistake about it, we can thank DTS, MD and to a lesser extent Elgin Baylor for this complete slop.

DTS and management should do the right thing and refund a good portion of our $$ as this team has basically no chance to compete let along have any success. At the very minimum they should lower the ticket prices back to last year's level. Either that or Kaman and MD should wash everyone's car after each home game.

Damn, Clippers are going after Dickau, saying they want someone that can contribute right away. I don't mind Dickau, but I'm not sure if that's a step up from Jordan. Jordan has passing ability you can't teach. This is one bad move after another.